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Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Disney World Convert

Well, we just got back from a long weekend there, and I'm already planning our second trip.

(Seriously. Who am I? How did this happen?)

Temple of Heaven in Epcot's China

First of all, Disney is nothing if not detail-oriented. Holy moly! The attractions in World Showcase are amazing replicas. Plus, Disney really knows and plans and executes its stuff! When we picked up our park tickets, we were asked a bunch of questions. Is this your first visit? Are you celebrating a birthday? Anniversary? Reunion? We were given the relevant buttons to wear, and wouldn't you know it, but they give special treatment to people with those buttons! Nothing too big, just nice greetings, and a free cupcake or dessert here or there. It made us feel noticed among the tens of thousands of people there, and that's special. (I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't this.)

We started our visit with breakfast with the Princessess in Epcot. Cinderella, Snow White, Princess Aurora, Belle, and Ariel posed for pictures, signed autographs, and led the kids around in a royal processional. It was a perfect way to kick off the magic of the weekend.

After some time in Future World, we went back to Epcot's World Showcase for the Phineas and Ferb secret mission. Oh my goodness, that was the best scavenger hunt ever! It was not easy, but totally entertaining. You go to a Secret Agent Recruiting Station, sign up to receive your Field Operative Notification Equipment (F.O.N.E.) and embark on your mission. We had to find Agent P and thwart Dr. Doofenshmirtz's plan to use his evil Precipator-inator on unsuspecting golfers. I don't want to spoil it, but if you go to Epcot, be sure to play this game. It is hilarious!

We found Agent P!

Magic Kingdom was our plan for the second day. I am so prone to motion sickness that I won't even ride carousels. Add my persistent fear of heights to the mix, and I am no good on rides. It's been a long time since I last rode a roller coaster, though, so I gave it a try. Twice.

Those are the last two roller coasters I'll ride for another two decades, thank you very much. My kids, on the other hand, are all ride fanatics. Terza even stood with purpose under those minimum height sticks to make sure she gained admittance to the rides. I sure am glad their father likes rides.

We closed out our second day with a ride on the Monorail over to the Polynesian for the Spirit of Aloha luau dinner show, which was super fun. Plus, how can you resist the fire-thrower?

No, thank you. You kids have fun!

Our day at Animal Kingdom was kind of a bust. We got Fast Passes to the rides the kids wanted, but by the time we made it over to the safari, they were out of Fast Passes for the day. Ah, well, maybe next time. Animal Kingdom had the least Disney-like feel to me, so I'm not sure I want to go back. We'll see. The kids had a great time on the Expedition Everest coaster, though. All I could think about as the coaster made that first ascent was the absolute insanity of roller coasters. I mean, looking at them, and looking at your babies ride them, clearly they're all going to die. Seriously, how can something that lifts you up that high then throws you down and around not be lethal? And how can everybody be so happy about it? The pictures of the riders at the end of the ride show smiling faces. I don't get it at all.

Hollywood Studios was our last park. The kids would have loved to do the Jedi training, but the slots were taken by the time we got there. Next time! The biggest thing Prima talked about before the trip was the Tower of Terror. Even though Terza was tall enough, we decided she was not old enough to handle the terror part. So I took her to the Beauty and the Beast show while the rest of the fam rode that ridiculous ride.

Terza's introduction to Beauty and the Beast

For all my crankiness, I knew Disney would be fun and that the excitement of the kids and the magic of the place would win me over. I'm still not going during peak times, at least not peak summer times (maybe a Christmas/New Year's trip would be fun). But, I'm already thinking about where to stay, what to eat, and which shows to see on our next trip. Oh, Disney, you got me!